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3 Sheets--Sheet 1,

N. DAVENPORT.

Improvement. in Oars.

No. 115,584, Patented June6,1871.

' 3 Sh.eets--Shee7 2.

N. DAVENPORT.

Improvement in Oar-3'.

No.115,584, Patented June fi,1871.

@ WWWW Au 0w N0. III-5,584.

N. DAVENPORT.

Improvement in Oars.

3 Sheets- Sheef 3.

Patented Juhe 6.3871.

miencvsrnsnrm oARs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,584, dated June 6,1871.

I, NELSON DAVENPORT, of Troy, Rensselaer county and State of New York,have invented certain Improvements in Row-Locks and Oar- Handles, ofwhich the following is a specification:

Nature and Objects of the Invention.

The nature of my invention and its objects consist in the constructionof row-locks and car-handles, and their connections with the boat andcars in such manner that the boat will be propelled in the directionfaced by the oarsman. The first part of my inventionrelates to theconstruction of the row-lock and the attachment of the car thereto insuch mannor that the car will not catch and bind to the lock, and alsoto the construction, adjustment, and attachments of the spring to therow-lock and to the car in such manner that the car can be raised orlowered to any point to suit the convenience of the oarsman, and theblade remain at the same distance from the water or to the same depth inthe water when hanging by the spring, at whatever part of the arc theblade may be. The second part of my invention relates to theconstruction of the handle of the oar in such manner that no joint isnecessary except one made by a hook and eye, and also so that it may belengthened or shortened, as maybe required by the oarsman.

Description of the Acconqmnying Drawing.

No. 1 is a side elevation of the row-lock, with cranes and oar'pins,embodying a portion of my invention. X0. 2 is a side elevation and planof the oarhandle and oar-band, embodying a portion of my invention. No.3 is a side elevation of the whole, embodying my invention.

Genera-l Description.

U is a section of the boat. A'is the car. V

is an upright, made of wood, and from one to.

are eyes cast upon each side of the lock. P is a pin through the lowereye on each side, secured at the top by a nut, and turning easily in theeye. S is the oar-pin, forming, with the pin P, the. joint It. Thisoar-pin is from five to six inches long and about one-half inch indiameter, with a hub cast on the joint end to prevent the striking ofthe oar-handle against the eye. This oar-pin is inserted into a hole inthe loom of the oar and so fitted that the car will roll easily upon it.The joint R and the loose pin 1? admit of all the necessary motions ofthe car in rowing. N is a small crane, so

fittedinto the upper eye 0 on each side of the row-lock that it willturn easily andfreely, and is secured at the bottom of the eye with anut. K is an adjustable spring, of rubber or other suitable material,one end of which is attached g, .7

to the oreby the hook B, and the other end of which is attached to thecrane bya ring on the spring and a hook on the end of the crane. Thisspring supports the ereabove or upon the water when not drawn into it,and also prevents the oar from slipping off the oar-pin, yet with littlepower will permit the forcing of the car into the water to any necessarydepth. It is made adjustable by a strap and buckle, so that the oar canbe elevated or depressed to suit the convenience of the oarsman. This Ispring being attached to the car and crane,

the crane will turn easily and simultaneously with the car and the pinP, thus keeping the oar-blade at the same distance above the water atwhatever point it may be when hanging from the spring or when beingpushed backward for the stroke. H is the handle; L, the arm; and O and Ithe prongs of the arm by which the creris worked. Wis the oar-band; 1),the hook on top of the band; and G, the. screw-pin, securing the arm andprongs to the band and the band to the oar. The arm L is made of metal,and is from four to eightinches long, and is hollow or open in twosections to relieve it of weight, the solid or uncut sections beingtubes to admit the screw of the handle H, by means of which the handlemay be lengthened or shortened, as required by the oarsman and thewidthof the boat. The prongs O and I are cast solid to the arm, and soshaped on the inner sides that the band W will remain at somedistancefrom the pron gs at whatever point it maybe when worked. The up-2 I mass per prong C has an eye in the end, and the I is about twoinches wide and of sufficient thickness to bear the strain, and fitsclosely around the loom of the oar. On one side of the band is cast asmall hub to give a sufficient hold for the threads of the screw-pin G,which passes through the slot of the prong I and the hub and the band,and secures the band firmly to the oar. Upon the band, directly oppositethe hub, is cast the hook D, which secures the upper prong to theband'and works easily and freely in the eye, allowing the necessarymotions of the prongs when worked. This band is adjusted upon the oar sothat the hook I) will be on a line with the upper edge of the blade, andmay be as far from the end as the oarsman may require.

When the car, by means of the handle H, is pushed backward through andout of the water for the stroke, it is necessarily feathered, becausethe upper prong of the arm pushes against the hook on the top of theoar-band, and the screw-pin G runs easily back in the slot of the lowerprong. When the stroke is made, and as soon as the oar-blade is pulledinto the water, the roll of the oar is reversed until the pin Gr strikesthe end of the slot in the lower prong, when the face of the blade is ata right angle with the surface of the water. By this operation the boatis propelled in the direction faced by the oarsman.

By the use of the row-lock and its attachments, as herein described, theoar will never catch or bind as it will in the locks now used for asimilar purpose; and by the use of the adjustable spring, as hereindescribed, the oarblade can be raised or lowered to the proper pointwithout moving the row-lock, and the end of the car will not be drawn soclosely against the hub of the oar-pin by the spring as to prevent thefree roll of the oar.

By the use of the arm L without any joint except that made by the hookand eye at band, the power is more directly applied to the car, and ismore effective than with the jointed arm now in use.

I do not claim-as new a band upon the oar, nor a handle attached to it,by which the boat is propelled in the direction faced by the oarsman,nor the principle of feathering the oar with a handle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The adjustable row lock T with the eyes 0 O, substantially asand for the purposes hereinbefore set forth. I g

2. The combination with the lower eye 0 with the pin 1? and oar-pin S,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination of the stiff arm L with the hook-and-eye joint at theoanring, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The combination of the adjustable handle H with the-arm L and thehook-and-eye joint at the oar-ring, substantially as and for thepurposes herein set forth.

5. The combination of the small crane N with the adjustable spring K andthe oar, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

NELSON DAVENPORT.

Witnesses:

G. E. DAVENPORT, J. M. LANDON.

